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11-08-2008, 09:24 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: michigan
Posts: 5
| Care for a old blind yorkie Hi, Stinkey is a 14 year old yorkie. She has always been very healthy, last winter she lost her vision (cataracts), she also has no teeth left. I have been feeding her Purina senior formula, she seems to have no problems to speak of. However I'm wondering if there is any thing I can do to make her more comfortable in her later years. |
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11-08-2008, 10:01 AM | #2 |
Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mississippi
Posts: 2,564
| Hi, Mike, and welcome to YorkieTalk. The only recommendations I could make is to consider switching her food and putting her on a joint care supplement. The Purina you're feeding her is full of corn and other fillers that aren't easily digested. Chronic kidney failure is the #1 cause of death in dogs and all those fillers tax her kidneys. I don't have a specific food recommendation but you should probably look for something not too high in protein content as she is now not as active as before. You can try looking at this site The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare? to get a good background on dog foods and this site Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble for reviews of specific brands. You can google 'joint supplements for dogs' to help you find something for her. Many folks here use Cosequin but I've never used it myself. There are many products available and she would probably benefit from using one. Also, at her age, I wouldn't be giving her any more vaccinations. If she's been kept up to date, she will have immunities for the rest of her life. You can google 'over vaccination in dogs' to get more info on this. Hope this helps and I'm sure others will offer more suggestions. Best of luck with Stinkey. |
11-08-2008, 10:32 AM | #3 |
YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 2,234
| Bless you for loving and caring for her. Alot of people would just put their dog down. We have had a special needs dog (schnauzer) and now my little girl (also schnauzer) has cancer. The male died of diabetes and we now have the one with cancer and another female schnauzer that is a senior and our little yorkie that just turned one. I would just love her and give her alot of love and attention. No more vaccinations, and I would, since she has lost her teeth, put her on a good wet food. I like Welliness for ours. I leave kibble out all the time but feed them Welliness canned. Personally, I don't think we could repay the love and devotion they give us and they deserve to be loved in their old age. God bless and hope your baby does good. |
11-10-2008, 07:47 AM | #4 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: michigan
Posts: 5
| Thanks for the replies. Looking for a new food is overwhelming. Could someone give me some specific recommendations. As far as a joint supplement, the vet gave me Deramaxx 25. It seemed to cause her a lot of gasping for breath. Thanks, Mike |
11-10-2008, 12:25 PM | #5 |
Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mississippi
Posts: 2,564
| You should be very careful about using Deramaxx. Here's a thread where someone's dog just died from kidney failure due to it.http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...ad-3-days.html There are links in that thread to all kinds of good info about this drug. There are some good supplements available that are safe to use. I use Nature's Logic for my dog food but it is a kibble and is around 36% protein. Many folks here recommend Wellness, Orijen, Artemis etc. You want to avoid a food that has a lot of filler in it. The common things to avoid are wheat, corn beet pulp and especially meat by-products. |
11-10-2008, 01:52 PM | #6 | |
I love my baby girls! Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,718
| Quote:
Oh geez, please follow the link that was provided and then decide if this is something you want your little girl on. I would get her off of it immediately! Especially if she's gasping for breath!!
__________________ Tammy, Mama to Abby Grace Daisy Mae RIP Peanut & Chloe, ABBY 's WINSTON Within the heart of every stray Lies the singular desire to be loved | |
11-10-2008, 06:04 PM | #7 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 31
| specific food Hi Mike... I just put my 16 yr old male to sleep one week ago. He too was blind and had very few teeth. I feel that at this stage of the game, I gave Tigger about anything he wanted whenever he wanted and my ver agreed.. He was so skinny and frail. Specifically, he ate Cesar brand food in the square plastic container. You know the one.. In the supermarket with the cute White Westie Terrier on the label. I specifically bought the Senior formula or the Puppy formula. Both had extra vitamins and calories. Tigger ate Cesar and loved them. Walmart has them for .75 each or less. He'd eat one in the AM and one in PM.. He also liked rice and scrambled eggs. Also, If we had steak or chicken we'd give him some mixed in. My vet told me not to be too concerned about brands or table scraps now. Give him what he wants...Last weekend Tigger wanted watermelon so he got watermelon! Best of luck... I know what your going through.. Sandy |
11-11-2008, 07:43 AM | #8 | |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: michigan
Posts: 5
| Quote:
Duramax within 2 days, due to the gasping for breath. | |
11-11-2008, 10:00 AM | #9 | |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: michigan
Posts: 5
| Quote:
after the 1st day, because of the gasping. | |
11-11-2008, 10:42 PM | #10 |
YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Toronto, Ont. Canada
Posts: 421
| make a nice chicken breast only ( not fat ) soup with lots of veggies ! |
11-11-2008, 10:46 PM | #11 |
YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Toronto, Ont. Canada
Posts: 421
| we had a blind dog live for four years.. |
11-12-2008, 09:20 AM | #12 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Tucson, Arizona
Posts: 1,840
| If Stinky's only problems are cataracts and no teeth, she could have a few years of quality life in her! Is her appetite good? Does she get around well? I think you have gotten some good advice about putting her on some quality food that is not too high in protein. Perhaps there are some vitamins that you can get for her? (I would try looking at Drs. Smith and Foster online for some suggestions). Other than that, just make her as comfortable as you can. And post a picture of her if you are able! I would love to see her. |
11-14-2008, 06:34 AM | #13 |
I love my baby girls! Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,718
| That's good to hear
__________________ Tammy, Mama to Abby Grace Daisy Mae RIP Peanut & Chloe, ABBY 's WINSTON Within the heart of every stray Lies the singular desire to be loved |
11-14-2008, 12:09 PM | #14 |
Gina, (Lexi's Mommy) Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: LONG ISLAND,NY
Posts: 10,455
| you sound like a great daddy mike keep up the good work
__________________ Gina & Lexi CLICK HERE for our Photo Album ... |
11-14-2008, 02:39 PM | #15 |
And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
| If she is having joints problems, you can try a glucosamine supplement (my first choice is Cosequin). They are much safer than NSAIDs and it's worth a try. As for food, the Innova, California Natural and Natural Balance lines are all fair and Evangers has great canned food.
__________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶 |
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